Humble ISD expands open enrollment program to combat student loss

A closer look

During the 2025-26 school year, Frey said the district welcomed 2,718 kindergartners while sending off 3,460 graduating seniors.

“As our seniors graduate, we don’t have as many kindergartners replacing them,” Frey said. “That’s why we must be proactive in maintaining student enrollment to protect the funding that supports everything our schools offer.”

Frey said the district has seen an uptick in open enrollment applications since the program began, noting 118 student applications were approved during the 2024-25 school and 225 applications were approved during the 2025-26 school year.

Frey added the district has made the enrollment process easier this year by removing an application fee and opening more campuses to open enrollment.

Since April, Frey said 480 students have applied to attend HISD in the 2026-27 school year. Out of those 480 students, Frey said 266 applications have been accepted, 120 are pending and 50 have been denied.

Also of note

Frey said the district is trying to create more awareness about the program through increased advertising. For the 2026-27 school year, he said the district will spend roughly $25,000 on marketing efforts for the program.

“You might be thinking, ‘Isn’t this kind of expensive?’” Frey said. “Considering each student generated a little over $11,000 for the district, the district more than covers marketing costs if just three students enroll.”

Frey noted the revenue brought in from students enrolling from outside the district generated more than $2.5 million during the 2025-26 school year.

“Those dollars help sustain staffing and programs that benefit all students,” Frey said.

Get involved

More information about HISD’s out-of-district open enrollment program, including a list of participating campuses, can be found on the district’s limited open enrollment website.